My Q. Fusiformis held onto it's leaves last year actually. This year 2 they have turned tan. They should be putting out new foliage in April or May.

my bottom line.. peeps try to save large trees during construction.. but no matter what happens.. it just doesnt work very well ... its going to die.. though that might take a decade or two to do so ... most likely.. the whole yard was regraded.. and when a tree has its roots in the first 6 inches of soil [speculating] .. and then all of a sudden the whole yard is bulldozed.. and they are now 12 inches done ... well.. stuff happens ... the decline will be slow and steady ... and the actual thing that kills it.. will vary.. e.g. ark suggests the canker.. but the real problem is that the tree is severely stressed.. allowing.. in this example.. the canker to hold .. even if you were to cure that.. if possible.. you cant and wont heal the inherent problems from the building ... if it were me... i would plant 3 or 4 other trees in the general area.. and get then going .. established ... and start coping with the fact.. that this one has to go.. sooner or later .... ken

Thanks for the responses. Ken - Do you think I should peel off the bark that easily comes off (is this what you mean by cleaning it up)? What should I look for to see if there is any healing? Thanks for the notes about going for a smaller tree. I had heard that advice before, but of course, I wanted a bigger tree "now". And now I probably have an expensive mistake, it would seem. If I do replace, I'll definitely go for something smaller. I had been good about keeping the bermuda off of it, until the last month or so. With the intense heat we've had, I haven't been as good at keeping the bermuda out of flowerbeds and the trees as usually am. I watered it once a week for most of that first summer after we planted it, and into the fall. I set the hose at a trickle and let it soak for an hour or so. Because of the heat and lack of rain this summer, I've been doing that slow soak a couple times a month. Regarding the planting, I think it was done decently well. The top of the rootball is actually a little above the rest of the lawn, around 3-4". It's hard to see that from these pics. In the first few pics, you can see some bare soil where I had quickly used the weedeater at the base of the planting, where it raises up from the lawn. Thanks again for the advice!

What part of the Hill Country? I live in San Antonio. Here, they pretty much behave like Live Oaks. I think they do fairly well in the Fort Worth area. (I was surpised) If it is hardy in the Hill Country, then it probably pretty much will behave the way nature intended. Someone else who lives further north may have more insight.